MCR3U1

Exponential Growth and Decay

Knowledge
1. The population of a city is 810 000. If it is increasing by 4% per year, estimate the
population in four years.

2. A painting, purchased for $10 000 in 1990, increased in value by 8% per year. Find the value
of the painting in the year 2000.

3. Inflation is causing things to cost roughly 2% more per year. A bag of milk cost $3.75 now.
Estimate its cost in five years.

4. The world population is doubling about every 35 years. In 1980 the total
population was about 4.5 billion. If the doubling period remains at 35, find the
projected world population for the year 2120.

5. An isotope of sodium, Na-24 has a half-life of 15 h. Find the amount remaining

from a 4 g sample after 3 days.

6. A used car dealer sells a five-year-old car for $4200. What was the original value of the car
if the depreciation is 15% a year?

Application and TIPS

7. A bacteria culture starts with 3000 bacteria. After 3 hours the estimated count is 48 000.
What is the doubling period?

8. A research assistant made 160 mg of radioactive sodium, Na-24, and found that there was
only 20 mg left 45 h later.
a) What is the half-life of Na-24?
b) Find an equation that models the amount, A, after t hours.
c) If the laboratory requires 100 mg of Na-24 12 h from now, how much Na-24 should the
research assistant make now? (Ignore the 20 mg she currently has.)
d) How much of the original 20 mg would be left in 12 h?

9. Two different strains of cold virus were isolated and put in cultures to grow. Virus A triples
every 8 h while virus B doubles every 4.8 h. If each culture has 1000 viruses to start, which
has more after 24 h?

10. A bacteria colony grows at the rate of 15%/h.

a) In how many hours will the colony double in size? (What must you do if you can’t get
the same base?)
b) In 10 h the bacteria population grows to 1.3 x 103. How many bacteria were there
initially?

11. The biological half-life of thyroid hormone T4 is about 6.5 days. If a dose of T4 was not
followed by repeat doses,
a) What fraction of the original dose would remain in the body after 19.5 days?
b) How long would it take until only 6.25% of the original dose would remain in the body?
Answers
1. 947585
2. $21589
3. $4.14
4. 72 billion
5. 0.14 g
6. $9465.74
3
7.
4
8.a) 15 hours
t
 1 15
b) A = 160x  
2
c) 174 g
d) 11.5 g
9. B
10.a) 5 hours
b) 321
1
11.a)
8
b) 26 days